This is a cute book about a dad and daughter spending time together. The main message of the story is following your dreams and not giving up. The illustrations are well done and the sentiment of the story is a nice one to be shared between a child and their loving adult. Apparently there is some controversy around this book, perhaps if you are worried about that you should look into it ahead of purchasing. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!

This is the story of a dad-daughter moments, where the dad supports his little lady's dream. Dreams as high as the sky, and someone who guides you through it. She can be anything she like, and dad will help her realizes her dream. A great reminder for parents, to be there for their children. To be mature enough not to push their wishes but the kids'.

The idea behind this book, chasing your dreams is great and it is something that should be taught to every kid. I just don't think there was something remarkable about the story told in it. Nonetheless, the illustrations are beautiful, so there's that.

Here's to Your Dreams by Dave Hollis is a sweet story of a Father and a Daughter. In Here's to Your Dreams, as the Father and Daughter are having a tea party, they use their imagination to sail a ship. It's a sweet story about not giving up and would be perfect to read in any setting. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

Here's to Your Dreams has some good things that we liked such as the illustrations and the idea that daddy and Noah spent some good quality time together. We also liked the idea that the gist of the story is to encourage children to pursue their interests. The little ones liked the story just fine, but didn't understand any message. The rhyming was also well done and made the read aloud easy with a nice cadence. I was not aware of any controversy involving Dave Hollis, nor did I know about his instagram/youtube programs before reading this book. Overall, it was a pleasant read, but I think the audience is a bit young for the message.

This is a mediocre children’s book at best. I was interested to see how Noah Hollis’ personality and story would unfold in this book, but was disappointed. It’s unfortunate that Dave Hollis continues to write books that are not worth their money.

This is cute! I love the focus on never giving up on a dream and persevering though failures. It's a simple book with a great meaning.

Here's to your dreams! begins with a toast between a father and daughter to following dreams and adventures. They are taken on an adventure with challenges and more! Recommended for ages 5-8

I have to admit, I hadn't done much research on the Hollis family but figured that it was loosely based on Rachel Hollis's now ex-husband Dave, and their daughter Noah. This is a cute picture book aimed at children aged 4-10 years old and it sets the premise of father/daughter dates in the format of fun tea time parties which is such a great bonding experience for fathers and daughters to have. It wasn't until I went on Goodreads and saw all the 1-star reviews, that I realized there is the controversy behind this picture book and so I want to state my review is written on the book itself and not the father/daughter duo. What I read was a fun picture book that has a daddy/daughter bonding time and the duo goes on several adventures together from warring pirates to sailing the seven seas - all in a day's work. It also teaches children that having dreams is important and to never give up as where would we be without our hopes and dreams? This family is known for their self-help guruness and so there is on the pages, a deeper meaning for older children to explore in their growth journey when they are 7+ years old. For the younger crowd, it is a fun father/daughter bedtime read and who knows if you aren't having tea parties or starting a father/daughter date routine yet, Here's to your Dreams may inspire you. Growing up, this was something that I had with my dad and we would go to the movies together or out to a cafe for lunch/dinner. It's a special treasured moment that I hold close to my heart forever. To conclude, if you are wanting to read this and view it as just a picture book - then it's a great read. If you feel that you can't support someone due to their personal lives and issues, then bypass this book and move on, remember not every single book is for every single person.

: "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
Here' to your Dreams is a wonderful full of adventure and creativity. I enjoyed the positive messages and the problem solving examples. Never give up on a dream and you are not defined by your failures are great messages kids need to hear often

This is a wonderful story for fathers and daughters, or any grown up and child. What starts as teatime turns into an adventure that both parents and kids will enjoy. Noah's adventure with her dad helps re-enforce to kids that they should stick to their dreams and not give up, even when it's tough. Noah put her critical thinking skills to the test and found solutions for each problem she encountered. Hollis' rhyming text is enhanced by Putra's beautiful illustrations. This title is hopefully the start to a new series because I would love to see more teatime with Noah books in the future.

This was just spectacular. First and foremost, I loved the illustrations. They were just to die for. But then I also absolutely loved this idea of magic teacups that could take you on an epic adventure. And that while you were on said epic adventure, you had to really figure out what you were made of and if you had the tenacity to carry on. Because at the end of the day, that's what this story is about: do you have the tenacity and the determination to carry out your dreams? Are you going to let an obstacle here and there, like a storm, stop you? Or are you going to push through and know you're capable of reaching your dreams? It was just fantastic. And WE LOVE the representation of a dad at the tea party and ALSO being super supportive!

This was a lovely little book about believing in your dreams. I especially like how it shows a dad in the book talking about their dreams, instead of defaulting to a mother figure. The illustrations were fantastic as well..

A cute book about a girl and her dad who go on amazing adventures during tea time. Tea time transports them to several different places, before they decide to navigate a ship out to sea. Only they don't have a ship or know how to sail one. Through perseverance and determination, Noah's dad helps to teach her to be brave and keep trying. A cute story for kids to inspire them to dream big dreams and use their imagination.

"We will learn as we go. Failed attempts can't define you. Here's what I know: You are smart. You are strong. You are brave. And you can do whatever it takes to accomplish your plan."

"I wanted adventure. I got so much more. When problems arose, I just figured them out. I learned to be brave and get rid of self-doubt. Now I know I'm enough when I'm just being me."

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It’s hard to rate such a wonderfully illustrated book so low.

I do not support the overall tie in with self help the author seems to want to drag on and I do not support children being indoctrinated into self help.

I think for a children's books there’s quite a lot happening and I’m not sure the overall message is clear. Even I was confused about giving the bounty back to the pirates? Maybe the school system has simply left me behind.

Anyhow, the illustrations are gorgeous and heartwarming - all the stars of that!

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley, thank you!

Update, Sunday, November 6, 2022. Book releases in two days. Here is my review.

In his 2021 self-help book Built Through Courage (review), Dave Hollis writes:

My daughter Noah and I have a ritual called Tea Time where I try to take the concepts I teach adults and break them down in a way that she can comprehend. I use this time together to extol the limitless possibilities of her dreams, the power of believing in herself, and the fact that she has been pre-qualified for a life that unleashes her gifts. This is my attempt to support her in a way that will allow her to recognize her full potential as she grows.

He has captured the ritual in a series of videos that he's posted to his YouTube channel. In the videos, he sits with his daughter at a little table in her room, cracks open a can of LaCroix, pours some of it into a plastic cup, and shouts about words and concepts that are over her head. The videos are heart-breaking, because they feature a little girl who seemingly wants to be silly and play, rather than absorbing a Very Special Self-Help Lesson.

In BTC, a tattoo on Dave Hollis's forearm provides the central metaphor for his book: "A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." In Here's to Your Dreams, Dave once again seems to be trying to "take the concepts [he] teach[es] adults and break them down in a way that [children ages 4 to 8] can comprehend."

The book begins with the teatime ritual, and unlike their real-life counterparts, the Daddy and Noah characters in the book have a real tea set. Clinking their tea cups sends them into a montage of "adventures," culminating with the two of them sitting by the ocean. Daddy asks Noah what her favorite dream is. Because she is contractually obligated to support the "Dave Hollis" ship metaphor, she replies that her dream is "to captain a ship."

Fulfilling the dream is tricky because she does not have a boat. Holding up a "SHIP WANTED" sign by the side of the road is ineffective, so the next plan is to build a ship out of random items she ostensibly finds on the beach. Since the building is not going well, there is a page where Noah goes door to door in search of help. Unfortunately the "Mr. Moustache Shipbuilder" storefront has a "closed" sign in the door, and Mr. Moustache himself appears unmoved by the little girl seeking his help as he looks out his storefront window.

When Noah wants to tear down the ship, Daddy encourages her as follows:

"No way," Daddy said. "We will learn as we go.
Failed attempts can't define you. Here's what I know:
You are smart. You are strong. You are brave. And you can
do whatever it takes to accomplish your plan."

Somehow, Daddy and Noah are able to improve their ship, and soon they are ready to take it to sea. They withstand stormy weather and even have an encounter involving pirates and treasure. As the sun sets, Noah realizes she has learned how to problem-solve and to be brave and confident. Clinking tea cups transports them back to Noah's room.

This book is self-help for tots. Its author seems to have approached the writing with little recognition that writing a good children's book is not easy. It takes more than writing in rhyming couplets.

How To Write a Rhyming Children's Book in Perfect Rhyme is a blog article with great pointers. This quote is particularly pertinent: "So, what's the problem with rhyming children's books? Simple. Too many of them aren’t done well. And while publishers are all for a good rhyming book, what they don’t want is a bad rhyming book: a book with forced rhyme, a book where the meter is off, or a book where the story seems catered to making the rhyme work, rather than the other way around. . . ."

Another relevant quote is: "If you were to look at most of the successful rhyming children's books out there, you would find that they all tend to cover rather simplistic story themes. A day at the farm. A bedtime story. A trip to the grocery store or a meal where a child tries a new food. That’s because the harder your concept is to grasp—the more in-depth it is—the harder it is to relegate it to a few rhyming lines."

Self-help themes do not lend themselves to verse. And this book suffers from forced rhyme and a lack of consistent meter. (See the article for a great breakdown.) I also can't help thinking Mr. Moustache was a failed opportunity: why not have Noah learn ship-building from someone with expertise? Isn't that a worthy lesson in a book promoting lessons?

Another question is who is this book for? Officially, it's for children ages four to eight. But it does not seem to have been written with insight into stories young children enjoy. It seems that when Dave Hollis's ex-wife Rachel Hollis was still doing Rise Conferences, she liked to end by reading the children's book Rosie Revere, Engineer (read by the author on YouTube here). Noah's ship-buidling sure seems familiar in light of Rosie's trail-and-error attempts at building an airplane for her aunt. Maybe Dave Hollis envisioned his children's book being read at the end of conferences.

I am giving this book two stars rather than one because of the quality of Arief Putra's illustrations. He is clearly talented, and I hope he continues to get illustrating gigs. I am not sure why book-Noah is colored so much paler than her real-life counterpart, but I don't think that is Putra's fault.

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Note: I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley. The email that I received notifying me that I could access the ARC included the following request: "If you are a reviewer, please wait to review the book during the week of its release." I am bringing this up because I SEEM TO BE THE ONLY ONE WHO IS COMPLYING WITH THIS REQUEST.

This book is a decent first attempt at writing for a new audience (kids). The general idea of following your dreams is a good concept to teach kids, but this particular story felt disjointed and we didn’t walk away with a clear “take-home message.” It felt just as chaotic as the actual Tea Time with Noah YouTube videos, but those are understandable because she’s a kid and that chaos is part of the charm. I expected a book to be more streamlined with a better flow. I also thought the ship captain focus was cheesy since Dave has already beat that idea to death and has admitted to disliking open water. If Noah really came up with the idea on her own, that’s one thing, but I’m skeptical. However, I very much appreciated the Jeffrey cameo on each page.

I loved the expressive illustrations, especially during the action scenes!

Noah and her dad work together to overcome challenges as she chases her dreams. I think the message for kids to try things even if there are challenges is a good one especially if they have support from others.

It’s painfully obvious that Dave was trying to create a children’s tie in to his adult self-help title, “Built Through Courage,” by using his daughter and their “Tea Time” video series. Noah begins the story pursuing dreams that typically resonate with kids, but she suddenly (and all to conveniently) decides she wants to be a ship captain. The plot took a hard turn and quickly became the kid version of BTC. Dave uses the same extended metaphor as in his adult book, but this time with rhyme. The rhyming does little to enhance the plot, and is used as a crutch to make the ship building metaphor palatable to kids. Compared to other rhyming inspirational titles, Here’s to Your Dreams falls flat.

The once regular Tea Time videos haven’t been produced in close to a year, which seemed a bit odd due to the book’s upcoming publication. A quick search revealed the book was originally scheduled for publication about a year ago, again supporting the Built Through Courage tie in. The search revealed Dave’s time and business efforts now seem to lie elsewhere. He spends most of his time with his out of state girlfriend and seemingly no time producing Tea Time with Noah. The book using his daughter as the main character feels disingenuous at best, and that he was monetizing their relationship at worst. Hard pass on supporting this author.

The only good thing about this book were the illustrations; and even then, I was disappointed to see that Noah has a much lighter skin tone than in real life. The rhyming is forced and very self-help-y. Toxic positivity for kids? No thanks.